Pinterest represents a new kind of social media that satisfies distinct purposes for female consumers, even as it opens up new opportunities for advertisers. View Summary

Pinterest represents a new kind of social media that satisfies distinct purposes for female consumers, even as it opens up new opportunities for advertisers. We approach Pinterest as a web-enabled form of scrapbooking and collage, where novel forms of indirect persuasion take place. An analysis of 20 pinboards with 2,291 images showed that women use Pinterest to play with possible future selves and imagine alternative consumption trajectories. The key distinction relative to traditional scrapbooking is a focus on the future rather than the past. Relative to traditional collage, the ease with which large numbers of images can be pulled off the web facilitates taste discovery. Women gather images, particularly of branded commercial products, to help refine their taste and better understand which styles match their aesthetic preferences. Because Pinterest represents a kind of ‘daydreaming out loud', advertisers who seek to promote via Pinterest must adapt existing social media techniques if they are to be successful, and focus on opportunities for indirect persuasion.

2

Stockography: Breaking time juxtaposing consumer evidence from the past with the present and studying both in real time

This paper proposes a new research method - stockography - which takes material such as photographs that people have taken to document their lives, and compares it to the past to understand change in society, culture and people. View Summary

This paper proposes a new research method - stockography - which takes material such as photographs that people have taken to document their lives, and compares it to the past to understand change in society, culture and people.

Mobile technology means people are increasingly able to document their lives on film and video, and vast amounts of 'stock' is being created.

An example of stockography from India is given: researchers analysed wedding photographs to see how wedding celebrations are changing and find opportunities for platinum, the metal, to make inroads in the lucrative wedding jewellery market.

It found that weddings in India have become more aspirational, individualistic and expressive, with greater equality and new social norms - and that platinum could be positioned to feed into these changes.

3

Brands that make me smile: Issues with using selfies to measure happiness

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Pete Comley, ESOMAR, Qualitative, November 2014

This paper examines the usefulness of analysing 'selfies' to understand how people feel about brands, finding that selfies are uncorrelated to people's true feelings about a brand and are not useful in research. View Summary

This paper examines the usefulness of analysing 'selfies' to understand how people feel about brands, finding that selfies are uncorrelated to people's true feelings about a brand and are not useful in research.

'Selfies' - self portrait photos taken with a hand-held camera - have grown in popularity and frequency, and now many mobile research apps include the ability to upload such photos.

This research measured happiness caused by brands by the size of the person's smile in their selfie, and sought to compare the usefulness of this measure with conventional questioning.

The study found that happiness expressed in conventional questioning at the point of usage was correlated with likelihood of subsequent purchase, but that non-verbal expression of happiness in selfies were uncorrelated to both of these.

Non-verbal communication could be considered more accurate, but smiling does not always mean happiness and selfies are more about how people choose to present themselves than what they are feeling.

4

Research that sparks: Methods to make market research more inspirational

This paper highlights six common myths in research and sets out related best practices for generating new consumer insights, using work with Telefonica, the telecoms company, as an example. View Summary

This paper highlights six common myths in research and sets out related best practices for generating new consumer insights, using work with Telefonica, the telecoms company, as an example.

Focusing on problem solving limits the ability to create inspirational research that will generate disruptive insights.

Big data can generate a lot of noise or "waste", whereas smaller, more meaningful data sets are more likely to lead to strong insights.

As long as research participants are sufficiently engaged, expertise in the product is not necessary to produce powerful insights.

One way to get more diverse data it to bring participants outside of their comfort zone and participants, as well as researchers, can generate insights by encouraging collaboration.

5

What do wearable devices bring to market research? Are wearable devices like Google Glass viable alternatives to mobile handsets for market research?

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Alex Johnson, ESOMAR, Digital Dimensions, June 2014

This paper discusses the implications and opportunities of wearable devices for market research, given the ability of devices to capture consumer behaviour data unconsciously from a natural vantage point. View Summary

This paper discusses the implications and opportunities of wearable devices for market research, given the ability of devices to capture consumer behaviour data unconsciously from a natural vantage point.

Three devices were comparatively tested - Autographer, a life blogging camera; Google Glass, the eye-wear device; and Pupil, an eye-tracking device.

Comparison between Google Glass and Autographer found discrepancies due to images being taken at different intervals, images being taken in different positions and incorrect coding.

Pupil's eye-tracking data mostly supported the findings from Google Glass, with exceptions for malfunctioning equipment and devices being viewed in a position which Google Glass would not see.

6

How Starbucks balances automated and human insights

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Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, NRF Big Show, January 2014

This event report discusses how Starbucks, the coffee house chain, is balancing automated tools and more traditional forms of insights-gathering as it seeks to consistently improve the customer experience. View Summary

This event report discusses how Starbucks, the coffee house chain, is balancing automated tools and more traditional forms of insights-gathering as it seeks to consistently improve the customer experience. When testing the impact of innovations like new services and systems, the firm has utilised video analytics – a process using cameras capable of monitoring waiting times, movement and engagement – to track positive or negative results in test stores. But while this information is extremely useful, it must be combined with in-person observation and qualitative research, because relying on quantitative data alone is never sufficient.

7

Visual stories from the emerging middle class: Understanding the individual in India and China

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Anthony Martin, Market Research Society, Annual Conference, 2013

This paper defines the opportunity the emerging middle class in China and India represent for HSBC, the global financial services group. View Summary

This paper defines the opportunity the emerging middle class in China and India represent for HSBC, the global financial services group. First it defines the middle class consumer, and goes on to explore their attitudes to banking and finance. The paper indicates the range of knowledge required to build relationships with future, higher-revenue customers in these regions. Photojournalism was used to capture cultural norms as they relate to money, providing real-life evidence which was combined with an ethnographic exploration of 16 key respondents. The paper concludes by outlining five rules that can be used to leverage photojournalism in the art of storytelling.

We took a promising new method of political polling – snap judgements of political candidates’ facial appearance – from the lab to the real world with internet-enabled mobile phones. View Summary

We took a promising new method of political polling – snap judgements of political candidates’ facial appearance – from the lab to the real world with internet-enabled mobile phones. Using iPhones and online multimedia-rich surveys, we collected over 6000 snap judgements of political candidates’ faces, providing proof of concept for a new method of candidate pre-testing and political polling. Consistent with prior research, we find that snap judgements by small samples (178) of politically naive respondents can accurately predict election outcomes. Further, we advance this method of research by testing design elements and providing practical details about the use of mobile technology to aid data collection.

9

The value of the visual: using the public's visual experience to improve local places

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Ella Fryer-Smith, Market Research Society, Annual Conference, 2011

This paper describes a project for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), an advisory body to the UK Government, to acquire evidence about how people feel about their surroundings and to stimulate debate on the quality of urban environments.The project emphasized the importance of local and visual insights, built up through qualitative ethnography. View Summary

This paper describes a project for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), an advisory body to the UK Government, to acquire evidence about how people feel about their surroundings and to stimulate debate on the quality of urban environments.The project emphasized the importance of local and visual insights, built up through qualitative ethnography. From a relatively small project, the organisers created a series of films, two reports, a website and a model of participatory workshops. The client, CABE, also concluded that the project enabled it to demonstrate its commitment to involving local people in decision-making.

10

Technology Futures: Perspectives on How Technology Will Transform the Market Research of Tomorrow

This paper forecasts how technology will affect market research in the future. The paper is in two parts, by different authors. View Summary

This paper forecasts how technology will affect market research in the future. The paper is in two parts, by different authors. 1) Software as a service (SaaS), which depends on high-powered computers in remote data centres and the internet; users do not buy the software but lease it and use on demand. Differences between SaaS and conventional desktop software are described, from the point of view of the end user and the service provider. Factors contributing to the growth of SaaS and its advantages for market research are discussed, also security and reliability issues. The difference between SaaS and ASP (Application Service Provider) is explained. Argues that SaaS solutions are by nature more efficient, more flexible, more adaptable, and more cost-effective than their traditional desktop equivalents. 2) Qualitative data analysis: there has been an explosion of unstructured data from multiple sources; new technologies are needed to handle this and ensure its quality. Discussed are: video analysis technologies (e.g. facial and emotion recognition); textual analysis technologies which sift and filter information from multiple sources (emails, blogs etc.); mobile and SMS research methods, including future applications such as WAP. Advantages to researchers of adopting these new technologies are fully covered.

11

Beyond the obvious: Freud and the wreckage of verbatims

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Luigi Toiati, ESOMAR, Consumer Insights Conference, Milan, May 2007

This presentation demonstrates how a tool that is as obvious as it is indispensable in the work of the researcher for gathering insights - verbatims - has a much greater potential than its often shoddy and repetitive use which we take for granted. View Summary

This presentation demonstrates how a tool that is as obvious as it is indispensable in the work of the researcher for gathering insights - verbatims - has a much greater potential than its often shoddy and repetitive use which we take for granted. This potential derives from making verbatims 'come alive' using anthropological and ethno-logical observations, supported by audiovisuals and semiotic and linguistic analysis.

Instead of simply putting together a traditional ethnographic research video, by creating a film, companies can ensure that the millions of dollars they invest in uncovering insights will actually be well spent. View Summary

Instead of simply putting together a traditional ethnographic research video, by creating a film, companies can ensure that the millions of dollars they invest in uncovering insights will actually be well spent. Their insights will not only stick in the minds of executives, but also spread across all areas of the organization and be used in ways previously unimagined.

13

True Lies: Video data in market research

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Penny Roy, ESOMAR, Qualitative Research, Barcelona, November 2005

This paper examines the role of video in research, whether as 'data' or an enlightened 'communications tool'. View Summary

This paper examines the role of video in research, whether as 'data' or an enlightened 'communications tool'. It looks at how video footage can be shaped in the editing suite, and addresses how we might justify the use of more highly interpretative (subjective) footage as a means to an end. Ideas about how the use of this medium could progress further are explored in this paper in addition to the implications of how video can impact the way researchers provide added value for clients.

Many emotions are so fleeting that the observer cannot detect them. Furthermore, the respondent is often not aware of, and cannot express, their emotions in words. View Summary

Many emotions are so fleeting that the observer cannot detect them. Furthermore, the respondent is often not aware of, and cannot express, their emotions in words. This paper describes a methodology using video analysis to detect facial expressions of emotion and some applications. Using video footage from a Diet Coke study and other research the paper demonstrate how much more information could be gained from employing video and facial expression analysis. The argument broadens into questioning whether emotions deserve a more central place in qualitative research.

The increasing popularity of ethnographically-based research can be limiting in some circumstances and categories. View Summary

The increasing popularity of ethnographically-based research can be limiting in some circumstances and categories. To combat this, a new qualitative method has been created. Using latest cell phone technology, a panel of trendsetters were asked to capture their behavior and feelings within the areas of quick service restaurants, snacking and beverage consumption. This paper presents an explanation of how this method works, how data is captured, benefits of using this approach and how it can be applied to provide insightful, powerful connections into the minds and hearts of consumers.